Being in graduate school affords me the opportunity to discuss great works of literature and to dissect my own attempts at creative work. But I often get lost in the process.

I walk around our neighborhood with my head in a book, channeling Belle from Beauty and the Beast, dodging the large Texas vehicles that drive way too fast down residential streets.

I forget that I'm living with another person in my house, and I ignore Ryan's attempts at affection. Reading and writing are wonderful, but they can be all-consuming.

And yet I have this to balance me out: I bake.

I break out the bags of flour and sugar, I decorate my counter with jars of cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder. Eggs are cracked, counters are floured, and my arms grow sore from kneading dough after dough.

But then after a few hours, I end up with bagels, or brownies, or a box of cookies that I can hand out to friends. I connect with my partner as we try new recipes, as we sample batter and as we sit together to enjoy our day's work.

Sore arms aside, these mornings and afternoons are life-giving. They remind me of the joy of physical exertion, and they transport me from the world of theoretical thinking into the simplicity of practicality: we eat and therefore we live.

Ryan and I spent the weekend baking, but I must give credit where credit is due: Ryan completed this recipe from start to finish. I merely sat on the counter, swinging my legs and offering a few helpful hints.

Bagels are far easier to make at home than one might imagine. Not only do they taste better than what you can buy at the store, but the possibility of variation is dizzying. Ryan came up with the onion and rosemary combination, which turned out to be a real success--delightfully fragrant and flavorful.

But to make matters even better, Ryan made a delicious vegetarian sandwich after we pulled our bagels from the oven. The creation looked beautiful enough to sell, and so of course, I grabbed my camera.

This recipe doesn't require fancy equipment or special ingredients. If you have flour, yeast, salt and sugar...you are in the bagel-making business. I would love to hear your favorite bagel variety...perhaps it will give me inspiration for next weekend's creation.

And as to the books, I am hazardously reading while walking through Austin's streets?Dear Rafe for my Chicano Literature ClassPlainsong for pleasure

Thanks to everyone who has offered such encouragement during Project Food Buzz. I am truly thankful for your votes. Voting for my second entry ends on Friday...and I hope that through your support I can make it to the third round!

1. Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl attached to your stand mixer and knead for 10 minutes. Alternately, knead your dough for 10-15 minutes by hand. The dough will be quite stiff and will hold its shape when you stop your mixer. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise till noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

2. Transfer your dough to a work surface and divide into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and allow them to rest for 30 minutes.

3. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water, malt and sugar to a gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F.

4. Use your finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole to about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 4 inches across). Place each bagel on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

5. Transfer the bagels, four at a time, to the simmering water. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and then cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top, if so desired.

6. Bake the bagels for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 8 bagels.

Those bagels look soooo good, I love the combination of rosemary and onion. YUM! It's probably no surprise that I'm a HUGE bagel lover (hence my blog name) but I've never made bagels myself. How wonderful that you and Ryan got to enjoy some time together working on the bagels (even if you did sit on the counter offering helpful hints!) :)

I'd love to see you make a Gingerbread Bagel!! :)

Oh and by the way, I voted for you. I absolutely LOVED your entry. The bread looked delicious and I loved the story that went along with it.

Is it weird that I never thought of making home made bagels? Making them from scratch would never have crossed my mind without this post. Probably like making ketchup or english muffins. Hope all is well friend. I wish I lived in Texas and could enjoy your bagels.

Oooh, that vegetarian sandwich is looking mighty tasty right about now. Two thumbs up to Ryan for this wonderful creation! That definitely looks like something you could sell :-P. Don't you love it when the men roll up their sleeves in the kitchen?

By the way, thank you for your very kind words on my bloggie yesterday, I really appreciate it. I really did love your second entry for pfb and the story behind it, so you already have my vote again. Best of luck, dear!

Wow. You rule. You are a true pioneer woman, writing and baking and feeding your man. But I'm glad that he feeds you right back! Admittedly, living in NY I will probably never go out of my way to bake my own bagels, but color me impressed that y'all did!!

These are so impressive, Monet, and I bet you could make a lot of delicious sandwiches from them too! I'm definitely saving this recipe to try for when it cools down a bit and I can get back to doing some serious baking! Thanks for sharing, Monet.

Cheers and pats for YOUR Ryan. I LOVE watching my Ryan cook. I think it is mighty sexy if you know what I mean. He makes a mean deep dish pizza. Congratulate your Ryan from me! I hope to tackle bagels in the future.

I think I shed a tear when you said something about the whole issue on baking. I spread everything out and feel like a mad scientist at work. I envision the same for you! :)

Kudo Ryan! It's a charm when a man gets his hands on in the kitchen. I remembered the time when I was in grad school. It was so fun and the interaction among classmates were different from college. I'm sure you will do great at your program Monet! These bagels look wonderful and yes they can be sold at the a shop! Let me know when you guys are open one!

Your husband did an excellent job on these Monet! And that sandwich looks so delicious. I don't eat bagels as often as I used to but I do like a good everything bagel every now and then. Plainsong looks like a really good read.

Beautiful bagels, Monet! And what a lovely Hubby for making that meal from start to finish ;) I used to sit on the counter swinging my legs and offering "helpful" suggestions when David cooked for me, but I would quickly get in his way and become more of a hindrance than a help, at which point I'd be banished to the sofa :D

I love it when someone prepares something for me, though. To me it's a real gesture of love and affection. Probably because that's exactly who I intend it when I prepare something for someone else!

Good luck in round #2, my lovely friend, I'm behind you 100%! Hopefully see you in round #3!

I really never thought that bagels would be so easy to make! I think the things we do for balance are so important. I know (not from experience but just intuition) that grad school must be rough, but it's such a great opportunity for growth and expansion, too. And PS--thanks for YOUR comments on my blog. I value them a lot, too :)

I love the idea of making bagels at home.... I had never even entertained it before reading this post! The rosemary onion combo sounds delicious! I am partial to everything bagels and also used to love salt bagels when I was younger, although I haven't had them in a while.

Bagels have been on my list of things to make for some time now, but they have always seemed a little daunting. Yours turned out so well and I love the flavor! Sitting on the counter, watching these be made sounds like the best way to be involved :)

Kudos to Ryan for some beautiful rosemary/onion bagels and to you for providing helpful hints and capturing the moment with pictures. I've not tried my hand at bagels yet...it's on the list with this recipe now! ;)

Hi Monet, Congrats to Ryan on a baking job very well done. Your photo looks so good, just a delicious looking presentation of a wonderful sandwich featuring home baked bagels, doesn't get much better than that. I voted for you and can't wait to see you in the next round:)

I always wondered how bagels were made, as I love to eat them. I always seem to gravitate to the ones filled with seeds, and have a very nutty flavor and crunchy texture inside. You make it look so easy, now I'll have to try it. Thanks.

Your bagels look beautiful! My dad loves bagels - though mostly the sweet varieties - and could probably happily survive on them alone. ;-) I have made bagels at home with my parents a few times, but never on my own yet.

Are you sure you're not hiding your "Bubbie" whose really making your bagels?You amaze me! These look perfect, and delicious. I love King Arthur flour for baking breads, and even pastries, and cookies. Good Luck in the PFB#2. You certainly have my vote!

I love bagels! Great job on these, Ryan! The flavor combo sounds perfect. I love pretty much any kind of bagel, but "everything" bagels are my favorite (as long as they don't have caraway seeds - yuck).

both you and ryan make a really cute couple:) i love reading your lovely stories and enjoying coming back for more delicious recipes.

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Le

09/29/2010 4:47pm

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Le

09/29/2010 4:48pm

Hey!! These bagels look great, I try to eat a bagel on the way to work everyday. I have this bakery called Paris Baguette here in Korea (how ironic) and it's pretty much in every street corner you go to. You'd love it!

OMG....you would be the perfect Belle!!! I can almost see you dancing thru the streets of Paris saying Bonjour.....sighRyan did an outstanding job with those bagels, and I give him even more credit, if you were sitting on the counter swinging your legs, and he still managed to concentrate enough to get those lovely bagels done!! I would love to have you work with me, but my girls would never eat my baked goods again! Hope Texas has been treating you better, I asked God to keep an eye on you!

Hi Monet,These bagels look amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed your post...the moments of baking you spend with the family, the reading while walking and distribution of goodies to friends and neighbours...such lovely stuff!In case you are wondering...found your blog while hopping between few and so glad I did :)

We've made bagels once or twice before, and you're right...it's a lot easier than I expected it to be. Plus, you can make any weird flavors you like! Something tells me a pumpkin bagel would be outstanding....

Montreal is noted for having the best bagels, I guess now there will be some stiff competition with your homemade bagels in the running. The rosemary onion combination sounds delicious.Always a joy to read your posts.

These are much easier to do at home you could imagine. Not only can the best you can buy at the store, but the possibility of change is dizzying. Ryan came up with the onion and the combination of rosemary.

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Monet MoutrieWriting and baking in Austin, TX. I'm currently pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing...with hopes of a pie shop and a book in the near future. Thank you for reading and sharing.